hastings



April 3, 1928. 1,664,558

I H. HASTlNGS LIQUID GAUGE Filed Sept. 10. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 3, 1928.

H. HASTINGS LIQUID GAUGE Filed Sept. 10, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- Patented Apr. 3,1928.

min at HERBERT HASTINGS, OF BRIGHTON, NEW YORK.

LIQUID GAUGE.

, Application filed September 10, 1921. Serial No. 499,695.

My invention relates to improvements in liquid gauges employing a float for use onv fueleand oil reservoirs as used in connection with automotive motors and in any application where the flu1d 1s in a state of more or less agitation as used; and the objects of my.

indicating the amount of liquid in the tank; C

second, to provide means for turning or operating the indicating mechanism otherw se than by buoyancy operating upon the float.

- Other objects of my invention will be pointed outin'the following specification.

parts and combinations illustrated in the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the head of a gauge as may be provided for the tank.

Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view of the gauge taken on the line 11 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view looking down upon Fig. 2 but with the pointer, dial and dial housing parts and cable connections removed.

Fig. 1 isa plan view of the impeller vane attached to the spiral Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, plan sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 2 showing the float and co-operating parts.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the remote indicator as provided for mounting at a distance from the tank. a

Fig. 7 is a partial sectional view in elevation or the indicator assembly, taken onthe line 6-6 of Fig. 6. i V

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the case or housing of the indicator shown in Fig. 7.

Fig.9 is a perspective view of the movement assembly shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of'the head of a second form of gauge as provided for mounting on a tank,the same in appearance as Fig. 1 but of different construction.

. Fig. 11 is a partial sectional view taken on the line 10-10 of Fig. 10 with the lower portion of the assembly broken away.

' Fig. 12 is a partial sectional view includingthe form of spring shown, in Fig. 11, taken onthe line 1111 of Fig. 11.

13is a perspective view of the slotted shaft 10 shown in Fig. '11.

. Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the flea ible shaft terminal 11 shown in Fig; 11

I attain these objects by the mechanism,

Fig. 15 is a plan view of a second form of remote indicator.

Fig. 16 is a partial sectional view of the indicator taken'on the line 15-15 of Fig. 15.

Fig. 17, is a perspective view of a float provided with an impeller vane.

Similar reference numbers refer to similar parts throughout the difierent views.

In Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4: and 5, 1 is a gauge head provided with threads 1' for attaching to a tank, and the upper portion is provided with a recess or chamber 1 adapted to receive the dial plate 2 which serves the double purpose of carrying the graduations 2 and of holding the slide 6 in its seat, and dial housing members consisting of a glass 3, a spacing ring 4 and a retaining ring 5 with a thin sealing gasket between the ring and glass. Below the dial chamber the head is provided with a transverse slot 1 adapted to receive a slide 6. Near one end this slide carries a roll 7 which is adapted to bear against a cam 8 secured to the stem 9, the other end of said slide is adapted to engage the sliding pin 10 so that said pin and slide move as one, the other end of this pin is provided, as at 10, with means for engaging the enlarged end oiiaflexible wire or cable 11 which operates under tension.- The head is further provided with a threaded hub l vand receives a nut 12 which holds a sleeve 13 against the end of the hub with its axis in line with the axis of pin 10, and in the outer end of this sleeve is secured a tube or flex- V motion of said slide and pin 10 to the sliding yoke of below. a

The stem 9 above referred to, carries at its upper end a pointer 15 and at its lower end is adapted to engage a spiral shaft 16 so that said stem and spiralshall rotate together. The lower end of this spiral at 16, is pivoted in a hole 17 provided in the U shaped guide rod 17 the upper ends of which rod are secured in the head as shown. Near the lower end of the spiral an impeller vane 18 is rigidly attached. A float 19 provided with a plate 20 surrounds the spiral and opthe remote indicator described crates between said vane and head, the float Oil with a seat 21 for a dial 22 which is provided with graduations 22 which dial is held in position by the glass spacing ring 24 and retaining ring 25 which is provided at its bottom witlran inturned flange 25 and this flange is notched at 25 and-these notches are adapted to slip over the ears 21 on the case 21 after which a slight turning ofthe ring locks it to the case. The case is further provided with a second seat 21 to which the movement plate 26 is secured. This plate is provided with a lower bearing 26 and an upper bearing); 26" and in and between these hearings is pivoted a spiral indicator stem 27, at the upper end of which is mounted a pointer 28. A sliding yoke 29 surrounds and engages this spiral so thatraxial motion of the yoke will cause ro- .tation of the spiral, and this.yoke is further guided inthe ring 51' seemed in the case 21 and is provided with a projection 29 underneath which a spring 30 is adapted to enand to exert a litting force to the yoke, the lower endoi the yoke is provided with means, as at 29 for engaging the end of the cable 11, the other end being connected to the sliding pin 10 of "the gauge unit as above described. The lower portion of the case 21 is threaded at 21 and over this 1 to the case and the other end of this nut is adapted to receive the threaded sleeve 32 and the check-nut 33 serves to hold these twoparts in their adjusted. position. A collar 3 1 is carried within this sleeve and is held against.longitudinal motion therein be .tween the ring 35 andthe shoulder at the end. of the sleeve but free to permit turning the sleeve, and within thiscollar is secured one end of the tube 14 the other end of which is connected to the gauge unit as above described. The purpose of this threaded sleeve is to provide means by which the sliding yoke 29 may be adjusted longitudinally so as to bring the pointer 23 ot' the indicator into agreement with the pointer of the gauge relative to their respective dial scales.

In Figs. 10, 11, 12, 18. 14- and 1.5 I show meansetor t 'ansmitting motion from the indicator stem of the gauge unit to the indie I cator stem of the remote indicator. in which the connecting train transmits by torsion instead of by tension as in the above description. A head 36 is provided with a dial chamber, dial, and dial. housing members identical with these parts described in the above gauge member. The pointer stem 37 is connected to the spiral 16 and is actuated thereby as already described with reference to Fig. 2 and engaging this stem is a described above relative to Fig.

spring 38 adapted to exert sufiicient turning force upon the stem to overcome the resist ance friction, etc., in the train of mechanism driven by said stem so that the float and impeller vane above described may be relieved of as much work as possible. The pointer stem carries a pointer at its upper end the same as in Fig. 2 and intermediately carries a miter gear 39 which engages a second miter gear 40 which is secured to and drives the shaftl1. the other end of this shaft is slotted as at 4:1 and this slot is adapted to engage the tongue Q2 01? the coupling 42 in a manner as to rotate the couplingand the flexible shaft 43 to which it is attached. A threaded-boss 36 is provided on thehead 36, which receives a shouldered nut at and this engages and holds the sleeve 45 against the end of the hub and in axial alignment therewith and in this sleeve is secured one end of the tube 46 as also 2. remote indicator in this assembly is of the same general construction anddescription as applies to l igs. 6, 7 and 8 as far as the dial and dial housing parts are concerned, the pointer stem 47 bears near one end in the dial and carries a pointer 52 and is further supported in the apertured disc 18 secured in the case and the outer end isslotted at 47 for cngacmeent with the coupling 49 attached to the flexible shaft 43, in the same The v manner and for the same purpose as do scribed on Fig. 11, also the tube 4L6 is connected to the case'5O in the same manner as described on Fig. 11 all as will be readily understood from the drawings.

The "functioning of the above described assemblies is as follows: i

The parts of the gauge extending below the head Fig. 2 are inside the liquid reservoir when installed "For operation. the float normally rides on the surtace ot' the liquid and as it moves along the spiral, exerts a. turning force thereto u'oportional to its buoyancy and weight and in the case of a simple single unit gauge where it is only necessary to actn ate the pointer 15 l in my Patents 1272.436 and 1 ing force is suflicient but in the present case, with the remote indicator in train it is not sutlicicnt to insure positive and constant response to a change of liquid level and therefore in order to have an ample turning force operating on this train T provide an impeller which always surrounded with the liquid in the reservoir and the surge of this liquid caused by the motion of the vehicle carrying it. is utilized through the impeller to apply a strong turning force to the spiral and connected parts while the amount that the spiral can turn is limited by the position of the float and since the surge is constantly reversing direction the spiral and float are constantly turned back and forth, and there 379.404) this turn being perceptible clearance provided between .the guide rods 17 and float plate 20, see Fig.

5, there will be momentary periods at each reversal when the float is free to rise or fall unimpeded and by this means constantly retain its correct position on the surfaceof the liquid whilethe .work of rotating the parts is done by the impeller. This impeller or equivalent could be made a part of the the pointer of the gauge will swing upward on'the scale as the float. riding on the level of the liquid, rises in the'tank. But the movement of the pointer is dnein most cases to the pulling of the spring and is seldom due to any positive action of the float. The

spring is made just about strong enough to securethisresult. The float merely rises fastv enough to allow the pulling of the spring to turn the pointer and indicate the position of the float. The impeller moves with the indicator as the float rises and permits it to turn as the spring pulls.

- .If the car is leftmotionles's and the tank is drained, the float may not drop by gravity but may remain up and cause a false indication. This is due to the pulling effect of 'the springBOv and the inertia of the impeller and other parts and friction; The pull of the spring opposes the fall of the float. It is not necessary that the float should be heavy enough that it should dropby gravity and pull with it the spring and the train of mechanism. The: action of the impeller makes this unnecessary when'the car is in motion. When the car is at rest'the float is held up by the spring 30 which pulls on the cable 11 and this together with the friction neutralizes thegravity of the float. lVhen the car is in motion and the liquid is agitated the impeller is swayed backand forth thereby, as the impeller sways the float turns.

The impeller and pointer usually swing of the liquid in the tank as it di- .minishes.

witha'series of short back and forth movements turning the float with it through the small clearance shown in Figure 5. When the impeller is in the middle of a swing the float is released and will drop as far as the spiral in. the rod 16 will permit. This drop is usually a fractionof an inch. lVhen the float is in its new position it changes the starting and stopping point of the swing of the impeller by a small amount. The float thus drops with a series of short steps and each drop is accompanied by a short forward and backward swing of the impeller and indicator, the indicator each time moving further down the scale, the impeller changing position to correspond. The swinging of the impeller 18 is caused principally by the surging of the liquid in the tank which in turn is caused by the movement of the car, but this will not lift the float.v It

does permit the float to drop when the level of the liquid is below it or to risewhen the level of the liquid is above it. But when the float has adjusted itself to the normal or mean level of the liquid in the tank the impeller is locked against swinging except as it is permitted by the clearance between the rods 17 and the openings in the plate 20 and the clearance between the spiral rod 16 and the plate 20 as shown in Figures 5 and 2. This is sufficient to let the indicator, shaft and impeller swing back and forth two or three degrees. The'float is held against the rods 17 by the impeller and its shaft and is thereby held back by friction against up and down motion due to surface waves. When the impeller moves, this up and down motion is permitted by the clearance between the rods 17 and the openings in the plate 20 and the clearance between the spiral rod 16 and the plate 20.

It will also be understood that if the float and impeller move exactly together due to the surging of the liquid the float may rise and fall in obedience to the wave, but this equalit of action rarely happens as the impeller swings faster or slower than the float moves up or down due to surface waves and the impeller therefore locks the float against movement.

The lift of spring 30, Fig. 7, exerted I through the train keeps the roll 7 constantly against the cam 8 so that as the cam rotates the slide 6 and yoke 29 move proportionately.

turning the spiral 27 to give the indicator 2::

pointer movement proportionate to the gauge pointer movement. The threaded sleeve 32 provides adjustment for bringing the indicator pointer into agreement with the gauge pointer and makes assembly in place easier. In the second form involving my present invention Figs'll to 16 the transmission is through torsion and its operation will bereadilv understood from the foregoing. When the tank is being filled there is mote indicators (sometimes called dash indicators) have been made in connection with a tank unit but without means of indicating incorporated 111 the tank unit, I am not aware of a combination of the two or two 1 separate units readily adaptable to combination, norioi' in pelling means other than the float orequivalent nor of other features of construction herein shown and described.

I therefore claim.-

1. Ina liquichgaugc, the combination of a 'fiQat With means for guiding it, a rotatable member adapted to have its rotation con trolled by the float and means .omci' than thefloat adapted to be driven by the in'ipact .or movement of the liquid that supports the float formoving the rotatable member.

In a liquid gauge, the combination oi a rotatable member, a float and. means for controlling the rotation of? the member from the float, means other than the float for utilizing the motion of the liquid in which ithe-gauge operatesfor turning said member and means for mounting said member and. floatwithina liquid receptacle.

,3. Ina liquid gauge, a float, means for guiding it, an actuable member adapted to have ,its actuation cont-rolled by the float and a non-floatingn'ieans operated upon by the liquid surrounding the gauge said nonfloating means actuating said actuating member. a

4i. ,Ina liquid gauge, a float, means for guidingit Within a receptacle, an actuable .]Yllnb(%l adaptedlto have its actuation conl'i'I'OllGd by the float, indicating means rigid With saidmembe-r, said act-noble mendier being provided with a vane adapted to utilize themotion of the liquid in which the gauge operates ,ior actuating said mei'uher.

' 5. In a liquid gauge, a float, means for guiding it, an actuable,niieniher ac ted to have its actuation controlled by the float and an innqell reattached to said ,mou'iher adapt- .cd .to receive impulses from the motion of. the liquid in which the gauge o 'ici'ates 'Ioi. actuating said member.

6. In a liquid gauge, the combination of a float with means for guiding it, a member having its movement controlled by the float, means other than the float adapted to be driven by the impact or movement of the liquid-that supports the float, for moving said member.

, 7. The cornbinationof an indicator and a float for operating it, means for guidin said float, a second indicator adapted for installation remote therefrom, a mechanical train connecting said indicators, and adapted to produce simultaneous functioningofthe, two indicators, means unaffected by the action of the liquid in the receptacle for tending to move said. indicators and train 'in'one' direction and means co-acting with the float and adapted to utilize the surge of said l' L id for operating said indicators and train in both directions.

S. In a liquid level indicator, the combination of an indicator adapted for installa tion remote from the liquid tobe indicated, a second indicator, a float operating means connectin 'TztlCl float and said second indicaf connecting said sccond indicator iii remote indicator and'operating the'latto n unison with the former, means other than the float connected to the operating means for operating said indicators through impact oi the liquid and under the control of the float.

S). In a liquid gauge, a rotatable member provided with an indicator, a float adapted to determine the amount of rotation ofthe member, non-floating means adapted to be actuated by themotion of the liquid for 0scillating the member so that the float will be freed to rise or fall and means for supporting these parts .Within a .liquid receptacle.

1.0. In a liquid gauge, a rotatable member, a float for controlling the rotation of said member, means independent of the float adapted to-utilizo the horizontal surge of the liquid in whichit operates forrotatingsaid member under the control of the float and means-for supporting said part-s in a liquid receptacle.

1].. In a liquid gauge,the combination of a float. a rotatable member provided with an indicatonsaid me 'iberbeing controlled in its rotation by said float, a transmission train connected withsaid rota-table member,

a device provided with ,an indicator and located remote from said member, saidtrain being connected to said device, all being :idaptedto produce motion ofthe remotederice and its indicator in unison with the motionof the first named indicator and nonfloating imeans cooperating with the float and, adapted tobe driven .by the impact or movement ofth e liquid that supports the float for rotating said rotatablen'iember under the controlof the :float.

12. In a liquid gauge, a rotatable memher, a float, said rotatable member having the Shape of a spiral shaft WithWhich-the float engages whereby itis rotated on the movefloating means independent of the float adapted to utilize the horizontal surge of I the liquid in which it operates for rotating said memher under the control oi the float and means for supporting said parts in a liquid receptacle.

13. An indicator adapted for mounting in a tank, a second indicator adapted to be located at a distance therefrom, means connecting said indicators whereby said second named indicator is controlled by said first indicator, a float for controlling said indicators, means independant of both the float and the liquid in which it operates for assisting the movement of the indicators in one direction and means independent of the float, but operated upon by the surging of the liquid for moving said parts in both directions under the control of the float.

14. In a liquid level indicator, a casing, a dial in said casing, a rotatable spiral shaft provided with a pointer cooperating with said dial, a slide and means adapted to cause said slide to oscillate with said spiral shaft, a transmission member attached at one end to said'slide, a second gauge having a reciprocating member to which the other end of the transmission member is attached, a

' float for controlling the rotation of said shaft, and non-floating means operated by the surge of the liquid and independent of the float for-actuating said shaft under the 7 control of the float.

15. In a liquid gauge, the combination of a stationary dlal and an indicator rotating over said dial, a float and means whereby said float controls the rotation of said indicator, an impeller mounted on said means for rotating said indicator and adapted to vibrate said float to permit the indicator to move under the control of the float.

16. In a liquid gauge, the combination of a stationary dial and a movable indicator and a spiral shaft connected therewith, a float rising and falling with the level of the liquid for controlling said spiral shaft and indicator, a guide for said float, an impeller moving back and forth sideways with the surging of the liquid and connected to and adapted to move said spiral shaft and said indicator subject to the control of the float.

17. In a liquid gauge, the combination of a tank, a dial on the tank and a movable indicator therefor, a remote dial and indicator, means connecting the indicator onthe tank with said remote indicator, a float rising and falling with the level of a liquid and means associated therewith for controlling the position of the indicator, an impeller moving back and forth sideways with the surging of the liquid for moving said indicators through said last named means subject to the control of the float, the movement and position of said impeller being functionally independent of the level of the li uid.

18. In a liquid gauge, the combination of an indicator, an operating shaft therefor, a float adapted to tend to operate said indicator through said operating shaft to indicate the level of a liquid on which said float floats,a non-floating member coacting with said float on said operating shaft for operating said indicator, said non-floating member being submerged in the liquid on which said float floats, said non-floating member be ing adapted to check the rise and fall of said float when the level of the liquid temporarily rises and falls due to the surging of the liquid past said float by keeping said operating shaft stationary or allow but a limited movement thereof.

19. In a liquid gauge, the combination'of a spiral indicator shaft, a float member tending to turn said shaft on the rise or fall of the mean level of the liquid, guides for said float, a non-floating member connected to said shaft and moved in a horizontal plane by the motion of the liquid to assist the rotation of said shaft by said floating member on the slow rise or fall of the mean level of the liquid but retard the movement of said shaft by said floating member on a quick and temporary rise and fall of the level of the liquid dueto the agitation of the liquid in the tank.

20. In a liquid gauge, the combination of a movable indicator, an impeller and means connecting said impeller with said indicator, a float operating on said means and adapted to govern the motion of said indicator and guides for said float.

21. In a self-contained gauge, having a reciprocating member, a cam engaging said reciprocating member, a float and an im peller, and means connecting said float and said impeller with said cam, said float being adapted to feebly actuate said cam through said means, on the rise or fall of the liquid, said impeller being adapted to strongly actuate said cam through said means on the surge of the liquid and under the control of said float.

HERBERT HASTINGS. 

